Former Police Officer Describes Attack on Civilians in Zecovi

The witness, known as Z2, was a former police officer from Rasavci near Prijedor. Z2 said he was on shift at a checkpoint in the spring of 1992 when his commander, defendant Radomir Stojnic, came with other members of the reserve police force.

Z2 said Stojnic told him he was going to search Zecovi for ammunition. According to Z2, Stojnic told him to come along and added that no one in the village should be harmed.

“I was in the group along with Z13 and Z12. Stojnic said we should go to Izet Bacic’s home to check for guns. He said if we find Izet, Sonja’s son, to send them down the main road,” Z2 said. He said Sonja Bacic appeared at his checkpoint a few days later and handed over his guns.

Z2 said he followed Stojnic’s orders and went to the Bacic family home. He said he encountered his mother, wife and child there. They told him that Izet and Sonja Bacic weren’t there and that they didn’t have any more weapons.

Z2 said he and others went to the school later, where he saw torched hay and heard gunfire. Z2 said he saw civilians, members of the military and police officials but didn’t recognize any of them.

He said he did see Sonja Bacic standing next to defendants Radomir Stojnic and Zoran Stojnic. He said he then heard a gunshot and turned around to see Sonja Bacic lying on the ground.

During cross examination, Z2 said he didn’t see who shot Bacic.

Z2 said that he saw a man called Stevo Radulovic shooting civilians and killing one with a knife.

Z2 was asked if any Bosniaks shot at him. He said there was shooting but he couldn’t say for sure where it was coming from.

Defendants Dusan Milunic, Radomir Stojnic, Radovan Cetic, Dusko Zoric, Zoran Stojnic, Zeljko Grbic, Ilija Zoric, Zoran Milunic, Bosko Grujicic, Ljubisa Cetic, Rade Grujcic, Uros Grujcic, Zdravko Antonic and Rajko Gnjatovic have been charged with committing acts of murder, torture, sexual violence, as well as destructing and confiscating property from the local residents of Zecovi, a village near Prijedor.

Milunic was the commander of the Rasavacka Company of the Sixth Battalion of the 43rd Brigade of the Bosnian Serb Army. Stojnic was the commander of the reserve police station in Rasavci. Radovan Cetic was the president of the Serbian Democratic Party and crisis committee in the village of Rasavci. The other defendants were members of the Bosnian Serb military, police and other formations.

The trial continues on February 19.